Meet Chantel, prepare to laugh

Chantel Marostica, 29, has been doing comedy for seven years in Winnipeg and Montreal, starting from reading off a sheet to winning Funniest Person with a Day Job at Rumor’s Comedy Club. ­ Photo Store

Come this time next year, Chantel Marostica wants to be in Toronto standing up in front of crowds of people, telling jokes and trying to make her star shine a little brighter.

To get there, she’ll have to save her dollars from standup gigs and her day job as a caregiver for the differently-abled at their work place.

On Oct. 22, Marostica was named Rumor’s Restaurant and Comedy Club’s Winnipeg’s Funniest Person with a Day Job.

"I knew that I could use a couple of different sets but I decided to stick to the set that makes me laugh, and if I make myself laugh, I’ll make the audience laugh," said Marostica. "All three sets were great but each time it just got better."

The competition won the North End resident an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas at a time of her choosing where she will perform in hopes of making a name for herself.

"It’s a great opportunity for people to see you who haven’t seen you before, and in the States, which a lot of Canadians can’t do," Marostica said.

Marostica is happy she got a free trip, and some of her friends have offered to join her, but from the beginning she just wanted the chance to prove she could be a host at Rumor’s.

"For me, my end goal was to host because I love working at Rumor’s, I love all the girls that work there, and I love working with Tyler (Schultz, Rumor’s general manager), he’s a good manager of the comedy," said Marostica.

Marostica said she always knew she wanted to be a comedian and firmly decided it was her path at the age of 12. Once she was 18, she realized she better get to it.

She started to attend poetry nights and open-mic nights in Winnipeg and was just terrible, she said.

"I did it, and I was just reading off a paper and it was awful, but I was still good at it, still making everybody laugh, but it was awful," Marostica said. "So I knew that if I had practice at it, it would get better."

Thankfully, she did get better, and on a whim and without research, Marostica saved her money and moved to Montreal in hopes of hitting it big.

"They have two comedy clubs there (in Montreal), so it wasn’t the promised land, but there’s bar gigs and there’s a scene there, so I got gigs right away," she said.

While in Montreal she got on the amateur scene, got work opening for other comics, did Just for Laughs, and a couple of festivals.

Marostica returned to Winnipeg, only to move to the United Kingdom with her partner. While there, she decided to take a year off from standup.

"In London, their comedy is . . . making fun of people, and that’s not how I work," said Marostica, who normally can’t stand when someone is sad. "I don’t like making fun of people at all or using negativity to laugh."

In addition, Marostica said she just needed a break.

"Working as a comic in Canada you book a lot of gigs, or you don’t book a lot of gigs, and it just gets to you," Marostica said.

Having moved back from the U.K., Marostica is fully back in the Winnipeg scene.

"I can do it every single night of the week, but I try to limit it to three or four, because I don’t sleep," Marostica said. "Being a comic is a hard job, and it’s a hard job to get into, and it’s a hard job to keep. You have to be always booking new stuff. It’s not a steady job."

She said anyone who is looking to get into the business should simply ask a fellow comic for guidance, and accept that the first 100 shows are going to suck.

"Find someone on Facebook that is doing comedy and ask about an all-ages night so you can get into it early," Marostica said. "Starting young, you get practice, and there are no real all-ages things and a lot of us want to start them, we just need to find people who are interested."

For more information on Marostica, visit and like her Facebook page at: facebook.com/ChantelMarostica

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments.
All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments.
All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.